Hot Tub in Your Garage? Yes!

Learn about why putting a hot tub in your garage is not a bad idea. Get tips for properly and safely installing a hot tub in your garage.

LESLIE: Alright. Dana in Florida is looking to chill out in a Jacuzzi. Tell us about it.

DANA: I’m thinking of putting a Jacuzzi in my garage and what I’ve done is I’ve converted the garage into a rec room.

LESLIE: So, Dana, it’s not still all filled with tools and your lawn mower?

DANA: No.

LESLIE: OK, good.

TOM: OK.

DANA: Now, is it … would it damage the interior if I were to put a Jacuzzi in there; with all that extra moisture and stuff?

TOM: Ah, that’s a great question. Because … now, when you say a Jacuzzi … now a Jacuzzi is a bathtub that you fill up and use and then drain. I think you’re talking about a hot tub.

DANA: Yes sir, I stand corrected.

TOM: Yeah, that’s right. Well, there’s a couple of things to be concerned about. Humidity is one of them. You will find that not only the humidity but the chlorine is very corrosive. And so, you’ll get corrosion on electrical outlets and switch plates and other things that are metal in there. So it might be that you need to ventilate that space as well as simply having the tub there by itself. However, having said that, there’s absolutely no reason, that I can think of, not to do it as long as, you know, you do it consistent with all of the building codes and do everything safely; especially from an electrical standpoint. You want to make sure that thing’s wired correctly so you don’t have anything unsafe about the electrical system.

DANA: Well, what do you mean by ventilation? This room has no windows and it only has a garage door itself.

TOM: Now, are you going to keep the garage door?

DANA: Yes.

TOM: So you’re going to … you’re going to have this garage that’s going to be like you can pull your car in, (laughing) get out of the car, strip down to your shorts and jump right into that hot tub.

DANA: (laughing) Sounds like a good idea, but no.

TOM: Well, I don’t think you have to worry about ventilation if you have a big old garage door on it. I thought you were going to convert into a complete rec room.

LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Yeah, but if you’re going to keep the door closed while you’re sitting in there.

DANA: Right. Correct.

TOM: Garage doors are plenty leaky by themselves.

DANA: Oh, OK.

TOM: But what I’ve seen is people put hot tubs into basements or other sealed in spaces and really don’t deal with the ventilation issue. And in most enclosed rooms that have either a hot tub or a pool, you’ve got to deal with the ventilation. You’ve got to have the ability to bring out that moist air and bring in the drier air so that you don’t grow mold and rot and things like that. And also, you want to make sure that you have a top that, of course, goes over that hot tub because not only does that keep the heat in, that also stops the water from evaporating and reduces that humidity in that space.

DANA: Really appreciate your help, guys.

TOM: You’re very welcome. Enjoy it.

DANA: Thank you very much.

TOM: 1-888-MONEY-PIT. 888-666-3974.

LESLIE: Then Dana could really get that bumper sticker that says, “My other car is a Jacuzzi.” (laughing) Ta-da-bump!